East Clinton Local School
District. Originally Wayne Township
Centralized Schools. First completely
centralized school in Ohio.

Wayne
Township of Clinton County was established
in 1837 from territory taken from Green and
Richland Townships, and for school purposes
was divided into eight districts: Concord
School on Reed Road: Harmony School at the
intersection of Fisher Road and Terrell
Road: just west of the Memphis Church :
Pleasant Hill School on Henry Road: Sharps
School at the intersection of Hornbeam Rd.
and 729: Tin Top School at the intersection
of Hamilton and Larrick Roads: Willow
College School at the intersection of
Terrell and Johnson Roads: and Texas School
on Texas Road.

Each
district had its own school house and a
Board of three directors from the immediate
neighborhood. One of these directors was
chosen as a clerk.

Up until about 1860, only four subjects were required to
be taught at school-Reading, Writing, Spelling.
Arithmetic, Grammar, and Geography were added a few
years later with many protests. History and Physiology
followed with violent opposition. The schools were
crowded and it became apparent that a High School was
needed. A vote was taken and a new school of two floors
was built in Lees Creek just north of where the Lees
Creek Church stands on Larrick Rd. This made eight
district schools and a High School where pupils could
attend after completing the work at their district
school.

The first school in this building was taught in the fall
and spring of 1885 and 1886 by L.A. Rhonemus. Then in
September of 1886, the first High School in Wayne
Township was taught by D.S. Miller from Thornville,
Ohio.

In 1889 the provision of State Issue 4017 whereby a
Board composed of the clerks from each district known as
the High School Board, might elect a Superintendent to
be over all the districts including the High School.
This arrangement made up the system of education in the
early days of Wayne Township. Mr. Martin Kennedy became
the first Township Superintendent in 1891.

In September of 1982, E.M. Johnson of Highland was made
Superintendent, and the following were graduated in the
spring of 1894: Stanley Matthews; Cap Bernard; 1895,
John H. McFadden, and in 1896 Fred Steele.

Then in the fall of 1896, M.C. Powers were made
Superintendent, and Matthew and Thomas N. Regan were
graduated in the spring of 1897.

There was no graduation in 1898. But the next year, E.K.
Barnes was Superintendent and the following were
graduated: Benson McFadden, Brother McFadden, Vernon
Rhonemus, Leroy Glove, Ola Van Pelt, and William Dotts.

A Mr. Curless from Blanchester then became
superintendent, and in the spring of 1901, a class of
four-Elijah Van Pelt, Merie Griffin, Frank Ginnevan, and
Cara Templar graduated. Under the same superintendence,
Herbert Grove Haynes and Estes McVey completed their
high school in 1902.

There were no graduates in 1903, 1904, or 1905. The last
session in the original High School Building was held in
the Spring of 1905.

By 1890, the one room country schools had lost about one
third of their population, and by the turn of the new
century, hundreds of rural schools had been abandoned,
since they were a burden to the people from a financial
standpoint, and also because of their inefficiency.

Because of this realization- and that the farm children
were not receiving the educational advantages of their
city cousins- a group of parents and educators of Wayne
Township decided that the only way to improve the
situation was to build a central school with facilities
equal to the best city schools. This idea of
centralizing a whole township was an entirely new
educational adventure for the State and the Nation,
although a few places had consolidated or partially
centralized.

So, with some very sincere opposition, it was decided to
present a bond issue to the voters of Wayne Township in
1903, for the purpose of combining all the schools of
the township into one central system. The vote carried
by a very slim margin and the first step had been taken
toward making the schools of Wayne Township the first
completely centralized , successful school in the
country.

Three and ninety-two one hundredths acres of land were
bought from Harriet A. Wilkerson on August 6, 1903, and
the deed recorded August 19, 1903, to the Board of
Education of Wayne Township, for $525. An eight room
school was built for $20,000 at a location as near the
center the center of the township as possible. All the
money was not used, however.

Charles Wirsing of Washington C.H. was the contractor.
Bricks for the building were made from clay taken from
the field just a few yards south of where the building
was to be built.

On September 4, 1905, the first Board of Education
composed of Sampson Tener, Dr. Lambright, Elijah Van
Pelt, Hugh Terrell and Theodore Giffin, along with John
J. Richeson, the newly chosen, dedicated the new school
and the “little red school” in Wayne township became a
thing of the past. It was chartered as a first grade
High School in 1907.

The school board had made a fortunate choice in
selecting Mr. Richeson as the first superintendent, as
he proved to be a man of extreme leadership, and was
credited with firmly establishing the school in the role
of pioneering and programs in education. The school
became so significantly successful that it drew the
attention of educators far and near, and visitors came
seeking knowledge of methods to establish better schools
in their home districts.

When school opened in the fall of 1905, ten or twelve
wagons pulled by horses, transported the children to and
from school. These wagons were not the most comfortable
way to travel since the only protection from cold, rain,
or snow was the canvas curtain that could be buckled
down when needed. The average time a child would be on
the road from home to school was about an hour and a
half- sometimes longer, because of snow and muddy roads.
Any one who lived less than a mile away was required to
walk. Each wagon cost from $120 to $150, and carried an
average of twenty children.

School buses were first used in September of 1928, and
were a great improvement in transportation. Mr. Al
Roberts of New Vienna owned the buses. Some buses were
driven by high school boys until the State passed a law
forbidding this practice.

From horse-drawn wagons of 21 capacities, the buses now
have 66 capacities. They are heated in the winter and
ventilated in warm seasons. There are 18 buses covering
1200 miles and more than 1000 pupils twice a day.

In 1913, a new building was erected to accommodate the
high school students. It cost $36,000 and was built by
the same contractor, Charles Wirsing, of Washington C.H.
More new bricks were made and burned for the new High
School building where the original ones were made.

From the time the building was dedicated in 1905, both
the elementary and high school classes were held in the
original building, but by 1913, it became necessary to
add more rooms. By 1914, the new High School, with an
auditorium, a stage, a kitchen, a dining room and manual
training room, was erected.

In 1926, a Smith-Hughes Department was added, and a new
workshop was built to take care of this department. In
1929, and up-to-date gymnasium was added to the group of
impressive buildings.

The beginning of the hot lunch program started in
1921-1922 school year, when a cup of warm food was
furnished to go with the pupil’s cold lunch from home.

A Parent
Teacher National Organization, with paid membership, was
organized in 1922. P.T.A. members met at school and
canned fruits and vegetables for the hot lunch program.
They also sponsored rabbit suppers, plays,
advertisements etc. to support the hot lunch program.

In 1941-1942, the
original building, high school and gymnasium were
connected with a first floor and basement corridor. The
top of the original building, along with the bell tower,
were removed to conform to the structure of the High
School building.

An extensive
remodeling took place when Reesville, whose High School
pupils had previously attended Wayne on a tuition basis,
joined the school system in 1953. A bond issue of
$400,000 was passed to complete the project and the name
of the school was changed to Simon Kenton High School

Elementary pupils
were assigned to Reesville. New Vienna merged with Simon
Kenton for the school year of 1962-1963, and it now
became New Kenton.

Sabina made the
next move and became part of the school in 1965 when the
name was changed to East Clinton, the same name it
carries at the present time.

In 1966, a Dollar
for Scholars Chapter was organized. The goal of the
program is to have individuals or organizations
contribute to a fund which will be self supporting. Over
50 students have been given an excess of $30,000 to
assist them in seeking a career in their chosen field.

The recipient
students who receive assistance are to return an equal
amount to the scholarship fund so that future graduates
will also have an opportunity for assistance to further
their chosen field.

The education for
handicapped children is provided for by quality
education with the Hopewell Special Education Center in
Hillsboro.

Those students
preferring vocational training attend the Laurel Oaks
Career Development Center at the former Clinton County
Air Force Base. At Commencement time, they receive their
diplomas from East Clinton High School with others of
the graduation class.

East Clinton
students are active in many sports. The boys have
basketball, baseball, cross country, football, track,
and gymnastics. The year 1976 opened the way for girls
as well as boys to participate in sports. They have
volleyball, basketball, softball, gymnastics, and track.

In 1974, the
Booster’s Club bought property adjoining the school
grounds for a football field and donated it to the
school. The seating capacity is 1000 seats and was
erected at a cost of $25,000. In 1977, a locker room
with complete facilities was donated for $20,000-also by
the Booster’s Club.

The school has
done very well in Music Education through the years.
Band and orchestra instruction were started in the late
twenties. Pupils receive instruction through the fifth
grade, if they choose.

The Marching Band
has 80 pupils from freshman through seniors in high
school. A flag pole was added to the football field by
the Booster’s Club in 1975 to assist the band with their
exercises. The High School Choir and Concert Band have
traveled to many places, and have received many awards

The Dramatics
Class consists of Juniors and Seniors. They have two
performances a year. The Seniors have their class play
in the spring and the Juniors present theirs in the
fall

Other
organizations include Future Teachers, Future
Homemakers, F.H.A., and the National Honor Society,
which was organized in 1963.

All the schools
contain cafeterias which serve an average total of 1,075
lunches daily. The school district employs 76 class room
teachers, three guidance counselors, four
administrators, one librarian, two library aides, one
speech therapist, one clerk of the board, one half-time
clerk secretary, one half-time payroll clerk, one school
psychologist, one psychologist aide, four secretaries,
four teachers aides, eight custodians, 14 bus drivers,
one bus coordinator-mechanic, 10 cooks, one part time
dietitian-a total of 134 employees.

Since the opening
of the school year in 1905, seventeen men have served as
superintendent in the following order: John J. Richeson,
C.R. Patterson, O.B. Snyder, W.E. Thompson, C.H. Lewis,
H.E. Cromer, M.E. Wilson, Perry Potts, C.A. Devoe,
Charles H. Bowl, Elmer Teets, William D. Myers, A.W.
Kettlewood, Richard Hart, Joseph Steele, George Greer,
and Donald Morrow.

The first graduate
of Wayne Township Centralized High School was Ray
Morris, who graduated in 1907. Two years of his high
school had been completed before school opened. No
formal commencement was held at this time, so the first
graduating class to hold commencement was in 1909 and
was composed of Faye Yankee, Harry Fisher, Thais Tracey,
and William Henry.

Every year,
including the class of 1977, there has been a graduating
class. 2,282 graduates have finished the course of study
and are now Alumni of what was originally the Wayne
Township Centralized Schools, the first completely
centralized school in Ohio.

The schools of
Wayne Township, along with those in the added territory
that makes up the East Clinton School, have always
enjoyed the cooperation and support of its patrons as
has been shown over and over by approving bond issues.
Booster’s Club issues, and by donations of time and
money toward projects for the benefit of the school.
They are justly proud of their accomplishments.